Fura equally draws crowds with its brilliantly crafted selection of cocktails and house-fermented wines, paired with dishes that would not look out of place at a fine dining establishment.
It is helmed by industry veterans Christina Rasmussen and Sasha Wijidessa. Behind the kitchen, ex-Noma’s Christina presents a vegetarian (bugs may be involved in the future) menu while Sasha, former head bartender of Operation Dagger and head honcho of Empirical Spirits’ APAC ventures, brews up a plethora of sweet and savoury drinks.
Even as you step through the sliding doors, warm smiles greet you in a display of service that continues through the night. The bar seats have you seated right in front of the action of your choice: The kitchen where boxes of herbs and a huge oven are situated while Christina works her magic. Witness the cacophony as bottles fizz, ice cuboids are shaved down and cocktails are magicked out in front of you.
Fura’s signature drinks utilise byproducts in its goal of minimising waste. Caramelised sake lees, leftover from the production of sake and corn husks are but two ingredients that make good use of pieces often discarded in manufacturing processes. The colourful menu hides a series of flavourful cocktails that are a joy to your tastebuds.
Fans of a stronger, neater drink can go for the So You Bought Sad Corn? ($25), which uses every part of the corn, even having a corn husk meringue topping the drink. The aptly named Juicy Fruit ($24), an homage to the candy of the same name (which I have not actually tried), is a sweet fizzy treat for one craving a lighter experience. The adventurous will be spoiled for choice with the Jellyfish Martini ($25) which has Jellyfish in it, or the Caviar Papi ($28) – where instead of sturgeon, black garlic pearls sit atop Kombu ice cream as it melts into a vodka-based drink with a note of lemon balm and green apple.
The actual crafting of the drinks borders the mystical with its complexity, a sneak preview visible as you head out the back – through a window, you see their workroom with equipment right at home in a chemistry lab.
To me, Christina’s vegetarian dishes are akin to fine dining courses. With a delicate touch, I have not experienced in other bar bites, dishes such as Cauliflower Crudité ($12) offer a fresh tart note that is the perfect start to a night. On the other end of the taste spectrum, the Kurly Kale ($20) hits you with a ton of ‘Wok Hey’ and richness that belies the absence of meat.